1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the feeding of collated sheet pad strips (a strip being an uncut and unglued group of pads) to a machine such as a rotating table at which the strips are edge-milled and glued. In particular, the invention pertains to the rapid feeding of such collated units so that the capacity of the glueing or other machine will be fully utilized.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At present, the glueing machine, called a circular padder, is fed by an operator who is stationed at one of the positions of the rotary table. The operator takes one group of sheets at a time and places the group in vertical position between clamps on the table. The table rotates to a milling station, where the under edges of the sheets are milled, and then to a glueing station. The operator is only capable of feeding the sheet groups in this manner at a limited rate, whereas the circular padder has the capacity of glueing the strips at a much higher rate.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,452,628, issued July 1, 1969 and entitled Hole Punching Machine for Paper Sheets shows a slotted disc construction which bears some similarity to those disclosed in the present invention, but the construction shown in that patent would be incapable of carrying out the objects of the present invention.